


Act III: The Children of Tyranny

by Black_D0g



Category: The Protomen
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Dystopia, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I don't care if no one reads this, Original Songs/Poems, Robots, Science Fiction, Songfic, The Protomen (music), it needs to be written by someone, that i wrote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:26:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_D0g/pseuds/Black_D0g
Summary: Tracklist: (NOTE! This is the product of one impatient lunatic who decided to take matters into their own hands.)I: The AftermathII: Among The DeadIII: What Remains of Thomas Light (Children of Tyranny)IV: This City Made UsV: Gather Up The CityVI: Calling OutVII: Hold Back the NightVIII: No Way BackIX: More than Man or MachineX: Vendetta’s End
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer… the publishers of these events in no way support the actions of violent rebels or the treasonous Doctor Light. Instead of taking up arms with The Protomen, the Light Brigade or the insurgents taking refuge at The Thundercon… support Wily and his officials at Capcom.

Thank you. It is important to stay informed and safe during these turbulent times.

* * *

**The Aftermath…**

From up in the tower, looking down the chanting masses, Wily’s eyes looked older than the sky. For years he’d ruled this city through fear, for years he’d held the reigns without ever raising a single fist. Now, Light had done it. 

“ _ I can see it in their eyes… _

_ Light managed to bring back their hope. _

_ Yeah… _

_ It’s a spark, and its light is nearly blinding.” _

Below, at the foot of the tower, the sons of Light had battled their last. A blue helmet, cracked, scorched and stained with oil, was removed from the victor’s head. In his eyes was some silent comprehension, one that stole away his will as he gazed out at the crowd. 

_ “If I do not crush them soon, _

_ Before this spark becomes a flame… _

_ Then it will climb up my tower, _

_ And bring down all that I have built.” _

Wily could hear them chanting, congratulating their hero. At their hero’s despondent reply, a wail of anguish and regret, the crowd’s praising turned to pleas as the robot voiced their fate.

_ “You are the dead…” _

At this robot’s words, Wily smiled. Below, the robots and the Robot Masters would not act without command. This ‘MegaMan’ had proven his strength, had made himself superior in the eyes of Wily’s creations.

If MegaMan willed it, he could order them all to bring down the tower.

Wily waited, knowing what was coming, but held his patience. Soon, very soon, this would all be over. Yet unexpectedly, from the doorway behind him, he heard another voice.

Her voice. The one he’d built to look like Emily...

_ “Father, what’s happening?” _

Wily spun around, his expression incredulous as his eyes drifted to Roll. He put on a pleasant smile, beckoning her close.  _ “Come and watch as this ends.” _

The fear on her features was immediate, as was the disgust that followed.  _ “Father, they’ve done nothing wrong!” _

Wily’s grin turned feral, as he clenched one of his fists.  _ “And That’s how it’ll stay!” _

Roll’s voice was pleading, her hands on her father’s shoulders.  _ “This isn’t what we were created for!” _

The shock and confusion on his face stayed fixed as he stared, his pleading daughter begged.

_ “We were made to maintain the peace! _

_ To keep order in running strong… in this city! _

_ We were made to be your hands! _

_ To hold up the foundations… of this city!” _

She turned to the masses below, as MegaMan dropped his helmet to the ground. Her artificial eyes were glistening, looking out as if through tears, her voice a desperate call for the mercy her father had never possessed.

In reply… Wily merely laughed.

_ “So much like your mother… _

_ That foolish Emily… clinging to what would never be!” _

His hand went to the tool on his belt, jabbing the terrible apparatus into her side. Electricity coursed through her metal body, circuits screaming as the light behind her eyes lit up like the sun. All too quickly, as quickly as it had lit, it faded to darkness. With a shove of his wrist, Roll fell from the tower.

Down below, the Robot Masters and their troops were now looking to Wily.

_ “So this city will learn, _

_ That I am its master… with but a wave of my hand!” _

Chaos, bloodshed, the screaming of masses too afraid to fight back.

_ “Like lambs to slaughter, _

_ I hear you screaming! _

_ As this night will fall at last, _

_ With the heart of city held firm in my hands!” _

A chorus of cries, submitting to their fate cut through his speech, a terribly backdrop that illuminated the truly terrible weight behind his words. As the children screamed for their mothers, as the men were all cut down, he heard it above all the rest. The chilling submission to their fate.

_ “We are the dead… _

_ We are the dead…” _

Megaman stood frozen below, tears streaming down his face as he fell to his knees. The weapon fell from his hand, clattering away as red mist and smoke billowed into the sky. Tears still running down his face, he slowly looked down to his raising hands as if the mist, the red steam in the air had proceeded to stain them red.

Silence followed, cut by a crack of thunder in the sky. Wily’s laughter rang out above it all, echoing through the desolate streets, mocking the corpses of those he had ruled. Slowly, no hope in his gaze, MegaMan turned toward him and waited.

Wily grinned.

_ “Tell me now… _

_ Was this the vengeance that you sought? _

_ Snuffing out the last bit of hope, _

_ That belonged to Light? _

_ Tell me, fool! _

_ Now that Protoman is dead… _

_ Will you stand up and do what’s right?” _

Amidst the corpses littering the streets run red, some of Wily’s robots stood in shock. Some of them seemed unable to believe what they’d just done, or the words that were spewing from their creator. In a way, he’d admitted to all that Light had accused him of. Had admitted that his rule was unjust, calling MegaMan to do what he and his brother had been created for. Half were mortified, the other resolute. Standing firm and true by their master’s side, awaiting his next command.

_ “I can see it in your eyes… _

_ that feeling telling you, _

_ Creations mine, t _ _ hat I’m to blame… _

_ So turn on me now...  _

_ I’ll just go and then build more! _

_ The advantage of machines is that they can be replaced!” _

Raising his tool to the sky, he ordered his Robot Masters to slaughter each other. Separating those now loyal, and those teetering toward rebellion, a new slaughter began. By the battle’s end, what few were left standing could barely hold their footing. They turned their eyes to their master, hopeful and waiting.

In reply, Wily turned around and walked away.

With nowhere else to go, the Robot Masters and their troops shambled into what remained of the city. All either left, or the life left them, leaving MegaMan alone. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and walked back to his brother. Hand to either side of his head, Megaman removed his helmet, then stooped to grab his own. 

As the skies above rumbled with a terrible thunder, the rain never coming, he followed his fellow robots into the city.

_ “We are the dead…” _

As he trudged away, leaving the carnage behind him, a faint flicker failed to catch his eyes. Light, behind the eyes of the girl that no one had seen as she fell, was still holding on to its last embers. Even as the streets were cleaned by machines, the refuse and the dead gathered by the sanitation-bots, Roll’s circuits refused to die…

* * *

AN: This is it. The final proof that 2020 took my sanity. LET'S DO THIS!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want it known that I wrote this whole GOT DARNED THING (minus what the Protomen had already written) in less than... I wanna say six hours.
> 
> YOUR HEROES ARE NOT THE ONLY MACHINES HERE.

**Among The Dead…**

Discarded to the city dump, Roll woke at the foot of a mountain of old, rusty metal. Limbs of robots, pieces of buildings torn down decades ago to make room for the new city. It was a shaky climb back to her feet, but she couldn’t stay here.

_ “Now here I am, another broken pawn _

_ Pushed off the board by the king’s demand… _

_ I open my eyes to see a graveyard, _

_ Wondering if this was how it all began.” _

Walking away from the remained of the past, Roll noted with some dismay that her chassis had been damaged. A small piece, but enough to expose that she was indeed a robot. Her father had gone to great lengths to disguise this fact, for reasons which had forever eluded her. As she walked along, through what had once been the city, she came to a building with a set of stairs leading up to a single door. And Upon the door was a name, the name of the one who once lived within.

The home of Thomas light.

_ “I remember a letter, sent to a man, _

_ Written by my shaking hand…” _

_ You wanted to take me away, _

_ Before you darkened the sky! _

  
  


_ But this memory isn’t mine, _

_ I was built to replace the one you killed. _

_ No, you did not use your hands _

_ You used the man Light built to take her life!” _

Turning from the ruins, she followed the one path available to her. It led her to a shed, dilapidated, held up by prayer alone. Inside was a single grave, a leather jacket hung over its back. Upon walking closer, she saw there was an inscription carved crudely into the stone. “Here lies Joe, the only man who was not afraid to fight alone.”

_ “So this is your legacy, _

_ Driven by your greed, your malice and your spite. _

_ You’ll take all that you want, _

_ Or see it all crumble to dust…” _

She ran her hand over the inscription, no memories of the man buried here. Yet the words brought to mind the actions of the children of Light. Men, machines who had risen to face impossible odds alone. Heroes standing against the tyrant in his tower.

_ “So it falls to those on the ground, _

_ Those burdening your contempt, _

_ To stand up and fight, _

_ Fight against your endless night!” _

Her hand grabbed the old, worn leather and pulled the sleeves over her arms. It smelled like smoke, gasoline and maybe a bit like tobacco, but somehow felt right on her shoulders. With the damage to her chassis hidden, she strode into the city and went searching for the man in her memories.

It was time to go and see The Good Doctor Light.


	3. Chapter 3

**What Remains of Thomas Light (Children of Tyranny)...**

It was unclear how long she’d been lying there on the ground, not when all she was surrounded by had been junk and ruin. Back in the city, walking under a thundering sky threatening to rain, she saw how cold the buildings were. Where once there had been smoke and fire were only scorch marks and icy metal.

_ “A city built by hands of his design, _

_ Though by the plans of greed run wild. _

_ See the wheels turning slow, from copses _

_ Falling through the cogs of the machine!” _

Despite how clean the streets were now, there was no one walking on them. No one at the vendors, no one at the bars, no one flocking to the ultra-theatre. Factories were run, though not by human hands. Ghosts were all that lingered here, while the machines toiled on for their corpses.

_ “Machines made to take the death away, _

_ Brought it swifter than any time before! _

_ The only children of Light… _

_ Steel children of tyranny! _

_ With our tireless hands of steel, _

_ We built the towers that he dreamt… _

_ And with the hands of his design _

_ We brought them all back down again!” _

Lightning cracked above her head, her footsteps talking her deeper into the city. Following no particular path, save for where she thought people might have been. What few of them were left.

_ “But a tool is not its purpose, _

_ Its worth found only in its use. _

_ A wrench is used to build a home, _

_ But also to beat a man to death… _

  
  


_ Much like the bloodied wrench, _

_ We’re weapons turned back round on you. _

_ Our purpose was to bring this city light, _

_ Now it lingers in eternal night… _

  
  
  


_ Steel hands built this city up,  _

_ Right up into the sky above… _

_ (Men were not built for such a height) _

_ When I find you, Tom, _

_ I wanna ask what we should do. _

_ I wanna fight back, make it right, _

_ To see exactly what you would do!” _

Empty city streets led her to a corner of the city, to where only candles lit the streets and windows. There, upon the brick wall of a warehouse, was the painted face of a man. The very man she sought, above so few words. “In Memory of Thomas light.” 

_ “But I see now that I came too late..  _

_ there’s nothing that a dead man... can do!” _

Tears found her eyes, a sound of frustration pushed out of her throat. Wiping them away with the back of her hand, Roll turned round and screamed.

_ “Machines made to take the death away, _

_ Brought it swifter than any time before! _

_ The only children of Light… _

_ Steel children of tyranny! _

_ With our tireless hands of steel, _

_ We built the towers that he dreamt… _

_ And with the hands of his design _

_ I will bring them all back down again!” _

When no one came, when no one listened or cared, Roll went into the buildings. Someone lit these candles. Someone painted that mural on the bricks. There were people here, people who could still stand, and if they could stand then maybe they could march.

_ “If hope is the spark Wily fears, _

_ Then let's pour on some gasoline! _

_ (I want so much to find you…) _

_ For as long as we’re alive _

_ That’s a light that can’t go out! _

_ (in my heart I know, Tom…) _

_ He fears us, he fears hope! _

_ He fears the flame we will light! _

_ So let's gather up the city, light up the flame _

_ And smoke out the man in the tower! _

_ (This city needs you now!)” _

For as much as she searched, as close to others as she got, they seemed to scurry and shy away. Roll could hear them, their panicking whispers as they fled.

_ “He thinks the arm came down on us, _

_ But we will spin this train around! _

_ (This city needs you now…) _

_ Push the throttle till it breaks, _

_ And bring it straight through the heart of the tower! _

_ (to light up the night!)” _

Her search brought her to the heart of the building, and into the darkest place she’d ever seen. Still, no matter how much she chased, no one would stop. To Roll, it was more disheartening than she could take. Light was gone, the people were now too afraid to anything but hide. Too afraid but cower for their lives, while they still had them to lose.

Head lowered, she turned around to leave when she saw a strange woman. A teenaged girl in a blue dress and jacket with a serious face covered in soot. In her hand was a trident, rusty and likely older than the city itself. Before Roll could question why she was there, she beckoned for her to follow. Not knowing where else to go, she followed her back outside. When she saw who was waiting for them, her jaw dropped.

There, amidst a small group of battered robots -the shambling remnants of The Robot Masters and their troops- was a man; a robot wearing a blue armored chest piece. In his hand was a red helmet, which once belonged to Protoman.

Standing before her was the robot who had nearly beaten Wily: Megaman.

_ “I know why you’re here, _

_ What must be going  _

_ Through your racing heart… _

_ You came looking for a ghost, _

_ But thought you’d find the man, _

_ In his place… a fallen hero… _

_ I know I cannot stop you, _

_ I know how you feel. _

_ Once I felt it too... _

_ You wont listen to reason. _

_ There’s nothing that can stop you. _

_ But now you need to know... _

_ Now I will tell you, _

_ A story I heard, _

_ Many times before I slept… _

_ I think you know how it ends.” _


	4. Chapter 4

**This City Made Us… (This City Made Us, 2015)**

Megaman told the story exactly as Light had told it, forgetting not a word. The creation, purpose and ‘death’ of Protoman. THen he told everything that came after. Everything he’d thought, everything he’d said. How he’d stormed Wily’s tower, fighting his way through the entire robot army. How vengence became the only thing his circuits allowed him to seek.

Then, he told how the story ended… how he’d seen her there that night.

_“There was a moment in the darkness.._

_Just before the blinding light._

_The world was standing there before you._

_Just out of sight..._

_You feel the thunder start to move you_

_You feel your pulse begin to rise_

_The night's a shock that cuts right through you_

_And you come alive…”_

Megaman stepped away from his broken followers, eyes up and to the battered towers that surrounded them. His eyes were sad, his face carrying not an ounce of hope upon it. With a sigh, he turned back to Roll.

  
  


_“This city made us._

_This city gave us life.”_

  
  


Then it was back to telling the story, back to reliving that terrible night.

  
  


_“It was a crash that broke the silence,_

_A thousand voices called my name!_

_And like a moth into the fire..._

_I had to find the flame!”_

He seemed ashamed, disgusted with himself, but that itself wasn’t the worst of it. That look he held in his eyes, as he remembered the crowds, turned back to the city… it was impossible not to see a bit of Wily there. Then, as he spoke, the Robot Masters joined in.

  
  


_“This city made us..._

_This city ate us alive!_

  
  


_This city now..._

_Will fade away!_

_It's crying out!”_

An accusing finger was pointed at Roll, Megaman’s voice a terrible shout as he addressed her.

  
  


_“I know you think you can control it!_

_I've seen the way a crowd can turn!_

_You've given everything you've got_

_And still they want to watch it burn!”_

She took a step away, jaw slack and eyes afraid. This… this is what became of the hero she’d seen that night? How? How could this be the same man? The same Robot? Ignoring her pleas, the Robot Masters called out to the city.

  
  


_“This city now..._

_Will fade away!_

_It's crying out..._

_It's much too late!”_

Voice dripping with spite, Megaman did the same.

_“They set the fire..._

_Let 'em fan the flame!”_

So it was true after all, was it? Just as Protoman had said… there were no heroes. A hand on Roll’s shoulder, Megaman tried to give her something she could use.

  
  


_“I'll give you one more word of wisdom:_

_When you stand and face the gates of Hell..._

_You're on your own,_

_You're all you've got!_

_Our heroes fail us_

_Without the veil of night!”_

Roll pushed his hand away, stepping back and avoiding his eyes. No. This man was not her hero. Somewhere inside his mind, maybe he yet lived, but she couldn’t see him any longer. She turned around to leave, only for some of the Robot Masters to cut in front of her.

  
  


_“This city now..._

_Will fade away!_

_It's crying out..._

_It's much too late!_

_This city now,_

_Won't last the night!”_

One of them took her hands, holding them firmly and locking eyes with her as they begged.

_“Don't let it die,_

_Without a fight!_

_This city now..._

_Will fade away!”_

Behind her, she heard the others throwing down weapons. She turned around to see the first Robot Masters WIly built walking away. The Robot’s she’d once looked up to, regarded as heroes when she’d listened to Wily’s lies. 

They were wandering toward the dump, where she’d come from, to die in peace. They’d leave the city to burn, at someone else’s feet. Yet there Megaman stood, watching her closely with near lifeless eyes.

Expression fierce, unrelenting, she stomped back over and gathered up the pieces of their weapons. Putting them together, building something that worked only took a minute. Then she stood, staring him in the eyes, and grabbed Protoman’s helmet. Though he sighed, Megaman let it go and watched as she put it on.

There she stood, defiantly and wearing his brother’s helmet, ready to do what he did not. After her’d lowered his gaze in shame, she spun around and started marching. Behind her were a few of the robots that had once stood by Megaman. She didn’t know them, guessed they were to be the second round of Robot Masters once the first had been made obsolete.

All the while as she marched, she heard the first group of Robot Masters chanting miserably.

_“This city made us..._

_No one can save us now…_

_This city made us..._

_No one can save us now…”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Gather Up The City… (Magfest 2020 - unspecified intro)**

Off in the distance, in the heart of the city, Roll could see smoke billowing from the tower. Wily was busy… likely making more machines to do his bidding. An army to replace the one he’d lost, to erase the humans that survived his last murderous rampage.

More than enough to make her gulp, make her question whether or not she could really do this. Even with the others at her back, they were nine against an army. Nine against the newest, strongest robots Wily could construct. 

The odds were against them, but against heroes? They always were.

Heroes… is that really what they were? What they would be? What she was trying to be? She supposed it didn’t matter, so long as the man in the tower was brought to his knees. The people in this city, the dying, sick, destitute and wounded would have their hope again if saving it killed her.

She had help, and she would bring back the light.

As she marched along, toward the tower, she never wavered. Never slowed. Not until she heard weeping, from a nearby alleyway. She held up her hand, then the others stopped. Creeping closer to the sounds, she saw that same teenager from before. The trident lay on the ground, she cried into her hands and seemed oblivious of the robots that had found her.

Nervously, Roll approached and then put a hand on her shoulder. When the girl looked into her eyes, the fembot did her best to smile. 

_“I know why you’re crying…_

_A great man is gone…_

_And it feels like it’s over,_

_But we have to move on…_

_Nothing’s worth fighting,_

_If it can’t take you down…_

_But it won’t be for nothing…_

_He left us a way out.”_

Standing to her feet, Roll pointed to the girl’s trident and spoke louder than she had before.

  
  


_“You can run if you need to!_

_Stop while you’re still alive!_

_But if your hands are willing,_

_There is more to this fight!_

_Take all you’ve got inside you_

_Raise your fist to the sky!_

_Let em bellow through the city,_

_We wont lay down and die!”_

The girl had stopped crying and was now looking at her with shining eyes. Glimmering with that spark, that fire, that flame which Wily feared. The girl almost smiled, Roll strode back to the center of the street and brought the weapon from her belt. 

Raising it above her head, Roll threw the switch. What followed was not the bang of a gun, not the hiss of a flare being sent to the sky not the metal clang of a blade. It was the ignition of a blade, a beam of energy that shone a light on the husks of buildings around them.

The girl stared in awe, as did the Robot Masters. There Roll stood, waiting until faces peered from windows, poked from doorways and alleyways. It was only then that she began to speak.


	6. Chapter 6

**Calling Out… (Magfest 2020)**

Megaman peered from his hiding place, listening to her speak. When she spoke, she told a story he’d never learned the details of. Not from Light, not books that had any recorded history in them. It was the story of a man who wanted to take the death away, and unwittingly became its father. 

“ _ When the sky filled with fire _

_ We saw the world come crashing down. _

_ Hands of steel, hearts of iron _

_ Lit a flame that won't go out…” _

She told them all about Joe, the pieces of his story she gleamed from Wily’s records of the events. How he’d climbed a tower to bring down the terrible screen at its summit. How he’d fallen from a height that most would never reach.

Then she took the hand of another robot, and the rest followed suit until they were all holding hands. In places they now spoke in unison, and spoke for the dead. They spoke for Light, they spoke for Joe, they spoke for the brother Megaman had killed.

_ “We’re gonna keep getting stronger _

_ Not afraid to risk it all! _

_ But the choice now is yours _

_ How we'll stand or how we'll fall... _

_ Can you open your eyes? _

_ See the blood’s on the ground _

_ Can't you hear him calling out? _

_ You can try and deny, _

_ But your heart knows the sound! _

_ You can hear him calling out! _

_ There's a way this will end, _

_ Like a train on a single track.. _

_ And your father knew it, _

_ And now we're here and we must go back!” _

Head held low for the briefest moment, she then spoke of Megaman. On the night that Wily had crushed his spirit, about the hero she knew was still in his metallic heart. Though the words put a pang in his chest, hand clenched over it, he listened still.

_ “I saw the look in his eyes, _

_ Saw the fire raining down. _

_ Can't you hear him calling out? _

_ You can try and deny _

_ But your heart knows the sound! _

_ You can hear him calling out!” _

For the briefest of moments their eyes met and Megaman took a step back. There was fire in her gaze, a will that demanded to be fulfilled.

_ “Won't you open your eyes? _

_ See the blood's on the ground! _

_ Can't you hear him calling out? _

_ You can try and deny, _

_ But your heart knows the sound! _

_ You can hear him calling out! _

_ Won’t you open your eyes? _

_ See the fire raining down? _

_ Can’t you hear him calling out? _

_ There's a chance to survive, _

_ But we’ve got to go back! _

_ I can hear him calling out! _

_ (Open your eyes) _

_ (See the blood's on the ground) _

_ You will hear him calling out! _

_ (You can try and deny) _

_ (But your heart knows the sound) _

_ I can hear him calling out! _

Megaman stood in silent awe as the denizens of the city gathered round. They descended steps, walked out into the street to stand closer to the one who’d called them out. Megaman’s fist clenched, remembering the crowd that followed him as he swore to finish Protoman’s fight. Would this really be any different? Did she command something else from them other than bringing them together to watch the story of another martyr?

When she spoke next, it became no clearer, but he could not turn away. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Hold Back the Night… (This City Made Us, 2015)**

_ “When I was young, couldn't stand to believe it _

_ Somewhere there was a sun left to shine! _

_ Now my heart won't be still 'til I've seen it, _

_ Won't be still 'til I've made it mine! _

_ There's a fear, can't be seen, it surrounds me _

_ As afraid of the dark as the light! _

_ Was a time, long ago, these were safe streets _

_ Now I'm the only one that keeps me alive _

_ Keeps me alive!” _

Like flies to honey they flocked, listening with rapt attention. To their collective surprise, it became clear she was not human at all but a machine like the heroes that came before her. Unlike them, she seemed to know that the world could not be left to them alone. Someone, hero or one crazy enough to try to be one, had to unite them. If they would not march together, then they would die alone.

The same could be said of the robots that followed her already, the very ones she now addressed.

  
  


_ “But I know a hero will come! _

_ There's a face that I've seen in the windows, _

_ There's a face of a stronger man! _

_ When I turn, as a leaf when the wind blows, _

_ Gone away is the will in his hand... _

_ You've been fed what they wanted to feed you, _

_ You've been bled of the will to survive! _

_ Now you stand just as long as they need you, _

_ But you're the only one that keeps you alive! _

_ Keep you alive!” _

The robots took heart, straightening their postures and trying to look strong for the crowds around them. They knew. They had to know… this mission was a doomed one, it would claim their lives. So then why did they listen? Why did they dare to have hope!

_ “But I know a hero will come… _

_ And the night, the night will be torn apart... _

_ And I know we won't fight alone! _

_ And the spark that we carry will turn the dark into _

_ A flame, a fire, a light!” _

  
  


All around them, the crowd began to chant. Some had their hope, others had surrendered it too completely to find it again. All the same, it seemed those who maintained that spark were the loudest. The greatest in number, and they soon followed at Roll’s heels as she marched toward the tower.

_ “There must be an end to the darkness _

_ There must be an end to the darkness _

_ There must be an end to the darkness _

_ There must be an end to the darkness _

_ There must be an end to the darkness _

_ No one will come, this city is dead!” _

Stunned by how many had gone to follow her to their doom, Megaman stepped from the shadows. If he could do nothing else, if all he could do was mirror his father, he would. For if he did nothing, he’d leave this city to throw itself to the slaughter.

So he called out to Roll, the crowd and all the robots that still remained.

_ “ _ **_But all of your heroes are gone!_ **

**_And the blood that they spilled is on my hands…_ **

**_A darkness will block out the sun,_ **

**_Not a thing can be done with so few men..._ **

**_That a hero couldn't do!_ ** _ ” _

Angry, refusing to surrender, she turned back to the crowd and attempted to keep the spark alive. If they didn’t act now, then it would be too late. Wily was weak, his forces not yet replenished. This was their one, their only, their final chance to turn back the night.

_ “When the voice from the shadows calls you, _

_ When the wind whips past your ears... _

_ Will you stand when the weight is upon you? _

_ Or will you go to your knees in fear? _

_ There's a chance, though I know it's a long shot _

_ And the city's out of time! _

_ All for naught if your heart stops beating, _

_ 'Cause you're the only one that keeps it alive! _

_ God, keep it alive!” _

This would not stand. They would not stand, not long against the might of Wily’s robots. So Megaman and she competed, fighting to be the loudest voice above the gathered crowd.

  
  
  


_ “But I know a hero will come! _

**_And all of your heroes are gone_ **

_ (We can hold out) _

_ Someone's got to _

**_No one left to_ **

_ Bring back the light!  _

_ (Past this endless dark) _

_ And I know we won't fight alone- _

**_A darkness will block out the sun!_ **

_ (All a fire needs) _

_ If we can't find a way to hold back the night! _

_ (Is a single spark!) _

_ But I know a hero will come! _

**_And all of your heroes are gone!_ **

_ (We can hold out) _

_ Someone's got to- _

**_No one left to-_ **

_ Bring back the light!  _

_ (Past this endless dark...)" _

  
  


Toward the tower they marched, a small army of the desperate. Megaman followed with his heart in his feet, thudding louder than the echo as they marched and chanted. They wouldn’t listen. They couldn’t afford to any longer… One way or another this would all end tonight.

Either Wily would be overthrown, or all that would remain for him to rule would be ashes and the dead... 


	8. Chapter 8

**No Way Back… (Magfest 2020)**

The brewing storm above their heads rumbled loudly, thunder a cacophony of noise. It threatened to rain at any moment, but the clouds refused to let it go. Just like they had on the night he’d killed his brother… Just like then, the crowd marched almost assuredly to their deaths.

Somewhere behind him, those too fearful or too wise to follow watched in terror. They knew what was coming, as did he...

_ “Look up in the sky, _

_ You can’t see the stars, _

_ They’ve been gone for ages... _

_ I can’t even remember _

_ The way they looked _

_ Before the rain... _

_ This town had its angels, _

_ There’s nothing but devils left _

_ Trying to outrun a hurricane…” _

  
  
  


When he spoke it was more to himself than any that might hear his voice. His head held low, a palm found his face and he almost found he couldn’t look as they neared the tower. Before his eyes were flashes of light, violence and red. Visions of dead bodies, all brought by his hands in one way or another...

_ “If there’s a way out of this _

_ Somebody tell me now _

_ I know it’s all gonna end _

_ But I swear I don’t know how _

_ Keep outrunning your past _

_ 'til it runs you down _

_ But if there’s a way out of this _

_ Somebody tell me!” _

When they crowd reached the tower and the next battle ensued, Megaman nearly screamed. THe crowd… it followed them. The people of the city had charged into the fray! Weapon in hand or no, they fought. They screamed and shouted, calling for the tower to be brought down.

Calling for the end of Wily’s terrible rule.

Eyes to the summit, he saw the madman staring down with a scowl. Wily almost laughed when he saw Megaman, then turned back to the crowd with a grin as he watched the blood of his people spill.

_ “But I know who you are, _

_ I’ve seen what you've done, _

_ From up in your tower... _

_ The only difference between you and me is, _

_ I'm on the ground... _

  
  
  


_ You're playing it cool now, _

_ Your hand on the trigger, _

_ Well I think we both know how this turns out... _

_ tonight!” _

  
  
  


Even with the numbers on their side, the people were cut down faster than the machines. The streets soon ran red again, filling the reluctant hero’s mind with images of his greatest failure. He couldn’t look, couldn’t bear to see it all unfold as it had been then.

As he begged for it all to stop, he heard Roll calling out to him.

_ “If there’s a way out of this _

_ Somebody tell me now… _

_ (There’s no way back! We can’t go back!) _

_ I know it’s all gonna end, _

_ But I swear I don’t know how...\ _

_ (There’s no way back! We can’t go back!) _

_ Keep outrunning your past, _

_ 'til it runs you down… _

_ (There’s no way back! We Can’t go back!) _

_ But if there’s a way out of this, _

_ Somebody tell me!” _

But no answer was given and in his need to never see that night again, Megaman turned on his heels. Behind him, he heard the sound of their fighting, the throws and screams of their deaths. The sound overwhelmed him and his spirit broke. Face to the sky, he peered into the storm brewing above. The buildings around him remind him further of that terrible night, and all he hadn’t done.

All his inaction had allowed.

_ “They took out a match, _

_ Started a fire, _

_ Lit up the city... _

_ And for miles and miles _

_ All you could see, _

_ Were the flames…” _

His chest felt light, the dizzying feeling of needing to do something, as he spun back around.

_ “There’s a storm blowing in now... _

_ And the heavens will open up... _

_ When the flood washes over me... _

**_God I hope it can wash this blood from my hands!_ ** _ ” _

As he sprinted back, charging back toward the chaos, he heard the city calling out behind him. Voices from those too afraid to fight, and voices ahead from Roll and those now in the battle of their lives.

_ “Just come back... _

_ If we run now... _

_ (If we help her…)” _

When the battle came back into view, his feet carrying him like a runaway train into the fight for the city, Megaman let loose a warcry that none present would ever forget.

The funny thing was, he was screaming it to himself.

_ “MAYBE WE’LL GET OUT OF THIS… ALIVE!” _

This time, when Roll and her Robot masters chanted their own battle cry, he joined in.

_ “There’s no way back! We can’t go back!” _

So, with his weapon held again at last, Megaman opened fire. By his side Roll cut down the metal warriors that dared to close distance. A duo that sundered Wily’s forces as quickly as they came into view. Up on the tower, above the chaos and deafening sound Wily’s smile vanished.

_ “There’s no way back! We can’t go back!” _

The crowd that gathered there cheered their names, fought by their side and Megaman felt the memory of his brother’s words die. He had been wrong after all… there were men and women, people in between who clearly valued courage over life.

Finally, they were standing for themselves.


	9. Chapter 9

**More than Man or Machine...**

As the battle carried on, as Wily ordered more and more of his troops to their deaths, thunder rumbled from above. Troops on both sides dwindled, leaders refusing to surrender.

No matter what, this was ending her tonight.

_“Now the arm’s swung back around,_

_Bringing the train careening toward the tower,_

_And all the ruler can do is cower inside!_

_His people have turned with a spark in their eyes_

_They wont turn back till they’ve torn him down!_

_Children of Tyranny tearing down their king!”_

Wily scowled, snarling viciously as he sent in more robots. He would drive them back, exterminate them and then put the rest in shackles. He’d held power this long, he’d hold it longer still.

_“We’ll never bow to a man_

_Who’s only loyalty is to his whims!_

_We’ll never surrender to machines_

_Who’ve never questioned their master!_

_We are more than the man,_

_We are more than his machines!”_

With a scoff, the dictator turned toward the switch that stood by his side. With just one shove, he’d unleash the strongest creation in his arsenal. He’d created a duo of his own, a Robot and his dog.

_“We lit the spark back up again!_

_Fanned the flame to a roaring fire!_

_(Maybe you and I…)_

_Is this what you feared?_

_Is this why turn your men on the crowds?_

_(Maybe we can still make it right…)_

_‘Cause deep down you know,_

_That you stand no chance against us all!_

_(Together we’ll light up the night!)”_

As the gates to the tower swung open, out stepped a machine more menacing than any that came before it. Eyes glowing red, armor glistening and new, state of the art weapons held in his hands. The mechanical hound at his side had jaws lined with sharp teeth made of steel. A beartrap that would rip the flesh of the crowd to shreds, lest the opposing robots stopped it.

Megaman and Roll exchanged one look, seeing the doors were still open. A nod was exchanged, then she raised her blade above her head. When she called the names of her remaining robots, they called hers. 

_“Metal Man,_

_Air Man,_

_Quick Man,_

_Crash Man,_

_Heat Man,_

_Roll!”_

Then, charging for the doors, Megaman screamed their first and last command that he would give.

_“ATTACK!”_

While this new pair of robot masters tried to stop him, they only succeeded in slowing him down. A wound in his side, sparking and leaking oil, he kept on running while Roll and the others fought for their lives. Flashes of energy, clashing of metal and blades made of light, Megaman didn’t let it distract him, even as roll screamed above it all.

_“Now the man in the tower_

_Will face the wrath of the city…_

_(Push them back! Give them no quarter!)”_

His weapon tore through robot after robot, his breakneck pace never slowing as he ran.

_“Now we’ll throw down the Tyrant,_

_To the height he condemned us to…_

_(Give them the only mercy they know!)_

Even when his legs weakened, more limping than running, he refused to stop.

_“The arm’s come back around,_

_And we’re putting you on the tracks…_

_(Our blood is nothing but gasoline…)”_

Megaman finally made it to the summit, out of breath and barely holding up his weapon. There Wily stood, the man, the architect behind so much misery. The man he’d come here again to kill.

_(Every drop that they spill... will fuel this flame..._

_To the inevitable height that this fire will raise!)_

Two men, the Second son of Light and the man who’d betrayed his father, glared at each other. Both held weapons in hand, ready to fire. In a split second, they both attacked and the flash of light nearly pushed the dark from the city. When their eyesight returned, a dismal sight befell them.

Neither had much strength left to claim, but both refused to fall. They dropped their broken weapons, clutched at their wounds and started toward each other.

_“So this… is how it all ends…_

**_This is how it begins again!_ **

_You cling to your delusion…_

**_You dare to raise your hands!_ **

_That this city was ever yours…_

**_I will see it burn! I will shroud it in night!_ **

**_And the only stars they see will be mine!_ **

**_The only hope they hold, a loan from me!_ **

**_I’ll reduce it all to ashes! Build it again!_ **

**_No more talk of Light… only the NIGHT!_ ** _”_

Only now, as they neared each other, did Megaman finally understand. The madness, the greed that moved Wily to act: envy of Light, and all he had come by honestly. The woman they loved, the brain that built the men Wily stole then ordered to build this city. He stole it all and hoped to lie to himself, convince the world that it was he they had to thank for all they had.

Wily would make them thankful for scraps, keeping all that they needed out of reach so they’d thank him when he deigned to share what was ‘his’. He would shroud them all in darkness, so that they could see if he let them.

Realizing what he’d almost left the world to endure, Megaman drew a deep breath.

_“If there’s one thing I can say…_

_One last word to share with you,_

_Before this is done…”_

Down below, heads turned up to listen and see. The battle had more or less ended, Roll now storming up the tower, and all that remained was the fate of Wily.

_“I listened to my brother,_

_Found something I value,_

_Far more than I do my own life…”_

The jaws of the crowd collectively dropped, their eyes going wide. As Roll ran as fast as she could, she and the crowd called out to their hero.

_“Let me tell you what it is,_

_(Just stay alive!)_

_Before we take that final swing…_

_(it’s almost done!)_

_You need to know… what makes me more than a robot._

_(Keep you alive!)”_

Hearing what they asked, what they wanted then more than anything, Megaman finally smiled as Wily drew his tool.

_“I VALUE MY SOUL! THAT WHICH YOU CAST ASIDE!_

_THE SOUL THAT THIS CITY HAS CLUNG ON TO!_

_I WON’T LET YOU TAINT IT FOR ONE SECOND MORE!_

_(Don’t kill Megaman!)”_

With a mighty roar, the last son of Light reached for Wily’s throat. When the tool struck his injury, the electricity ravaging his circuits and body, it didn’t even slow him down. He pulled the tyrant above his head and stepped toward the edge of the tower.

_“FOR THE FIRST SON OF LIGHT!_

_(please, hold on!)_

_FOR THE CHILDREN I FAILED!_

_(We love you!)_

_FOR MY OWN ROTTEN HEART!_

_(You are our hero!)_

**_I WILL TAKE THIS CITY BACK!_ **

_(MEGAMAN!)”_

With all the remaining strength he had, as the crowd called his name from below, he threw Wily. The glass shattered, his bones broke, his body fell. The crowd fell silent, even long after he splattered on the street, as Megaman spasmed and shook. The tool had been shoved into his chest, its entire battery drained.

It was only as he fell to his knees, nearly out of the tower, that Roll made it to his side.

It was by the grace of god alone that Megaman’s circuits hadn’t yet died… though from how faint his eyes were now, it seemed it wouldn’t be long before he did. A hand to Roll’s cheek, he smiled again.

_“If you ever… tell this story… remember what… my brother told me…_

_You must all see... that a hero… is just someone… who knows they are free.”_

As the tears finally left her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her, the last of his strength now gone. She managed to kiss him back, just a moment before his arm dropped to the ground. His head fell back, cradled in her hands along with his back, as reality sunk in.

Megaman had died.


	10. Chapter 10

**Vendetta’s End...**

Fighting back her tears, Roll softly drew Megaman’s body into her arms. Sniffling, she climbed to her feet and started the long walk down.

_“Now all of our heroes are gone…_

_But this city they saved, is in our hands…_

_(Do we deserve it?)_

_This struggle can finally end..._

_With the death now taken away._

_(Did we really hold back the night?)_

_The clouds will clear for the sun,_

_With the light come back, over our heads…_

_This city can finally get on the right track.”_

Down, down she stepped. Over the bodies of robots, through the great metal doors. Into the blood-soaked streets, a sea of dead faces staring back. Her fellow robots, so many of the city’s people, who would never know how it had ended. So many who would never see the light had come back.

She found a place to sit,down on a bench, as the sanitation bots cleaned up the streets. Another crowd gathered around her and the body she held. As a few arrived with a stretcher, she ran fingers over his lifeless cheek, pushing the hair from his face.

_“Your father would be proud…_

_I know that I am…_

_I know you only meant to do,_

_What you could to save us…_

_Either by winning your brother’s fight,_

_Or doing as your father did…_

_In the end, it was your own answer,_

_That managed to bring back the light.”_

So the people with the stretcher carried him away. They brought his body to a morgue, where he be held until a coffin and a grave could be made. The one who saved their city, be he man or machine, deserved a proper burial. As did all the others who’d given their lives to the fight.

But even these efforts did nothing to quell the sadness in Roll’s heart.

_“But it’s only now that I see!_

_Whether by our words spurring them on…_

_Or sending us to save this city…_

_This city...._

_THIS CITY MADE US HOLD BACK THE NIGHT!”_

Many in the city, those who hadn’t joined in the battle, hung their heads in shame. They knew she was right, as they’d known protoman was right before. In doing nothing, as Megaman had done, they’d let the man who fought for them die.

_“What say you now, oh city of light!?_

_(We will never…)_

_What say you, now that your heroes have died!?_

_(wash his blood from our hands…)_

_How will you honor that sacrifice?!_

_(We will bring this city back...)_

_How will you celebrate their lives?_

_(We will be heroes…)_

_How will you… continue their fight?_

_(This city will hold back the night!)”_

Letting that be enough, Roll turned on her heels. She started walking toward the edge of the city. The word would need to spread, that Wily was no more. The darkness had finally been quelled.

_“The devils have been paid their due…_

_We’ve cast them back to their fiery pits._

_By our blood, our tears and our lives,_

_The oppression’s no more…_

_By our…_

_By my hero’s sacrifice…_

_This is the vendetta’s end…_

_And we’ll never forget the dead...”_

Roll would spend years, nearly a decade wandering the world. Word spread faster, after a while she no longer had to be the messenger. As her travels carried on, from one city to the next, she was always met with the same questions. ‘What was it like to be in the battle?’ or ‘Who was Megaman, really?’ her least favorite was ‘how does it feel to be a hero?’

In the end, she’d just smile, and give the same answer she always did. She told them the truth, that at their heroes were just people who realized that -no matter how dark the city became- they were free. Wily couldn’t control them, not completely. The spark, the hope that carried them through was their own and it could never be taken away for as long as they drew breath.

Eventually, Roll came back to her city. _The_ City. Light’s city… when she returned, at the heart of the city was a statue standing tall. It was a statue of the dead, a statue of the martyrs who’d fought while they hid.

Finding a spot where their named hadn’t been written, right at the bottom, Roll carved a message with an angry hand. At their- ...at her heroes feet, it now read as such...

_“Cut, Guts, Fire, Wood,_

_Air, Quick, Bubble, Metal,_

_Crash, Flash, Heat, Bomb,_

_Ice, Fire, Light, Proto..._

_Cutman, Gutsman, Fireman, Emily,_

_Iceman, Bombman, Elecman,_ **_Protoman_ ** _._

  
  


_Airman, Quickman, Woodman, Bubbleman,_

_Crashman, Flashman, Heatman, Metalman_

_Cutman, Gutsman, Fireman, Iceman,_

_Protoman, Sniper Joe, Dr. Light_

_MEGA MAN._

_-This city made us hold back the night.”_

**_The End._ **


End file.
